Sway Dasafo
Bio
Sway DaSafo (born Derek Andrew Safo) is a Ghanaian hip hop artist, executive producer and entrepreneur based in the UK.
After spending a short time in Ghana during his early childhood he returned to England where he developed a fascination for English literature. Later, this fascination, along with his love for music and a knack for public speaking inspired the budding music producer to make his own beats.
Sway DaSafo founded Dcypha Productions in 2006, shortly after he released his singles ‘This Is My Promo’ volume 1 and volume 2. Sway's versatile flow allowed him to be embraced by both the Ghanaian hip-life scene and the then newly born London grime scene. In 2006 ‘This Is My Demo’ became one of the most critically acclaimed UK Rap albums. He later went on to be the first British rapper to win an American BET Hip Hop Award as well as landing a spot on the Mercury Music Prize Shortlist.
In 2008, Sway signed to Akon’s international Konvict Music family alongside the likes of Lady Gaga and T-Pain. Akon also embodied the fusion of a West African meets Western approach to music whilst building an empire so he was the perfect case study for Sway.
Sway’s vast array of collaborations go from recording and writing with acts such as Mark Ronson and Childish Gambino to award winning verses for Ghanaian super stars Sarkodie & Edem. He was also the only other rapper to be featured on Lupe Fiasco's US billboard number 1 album ‘Lasers’ released in 2011.
As a writer and producer Sway amassed over a billion music streams world wide across platforms such as Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music and he continues to work with emerging talent as well as accomplished creatives to push musical boundaries forward.
Sway’s ‘Chapters’ album is scheduled for late 2020 release and will be accompanied with a book and short film and is his self-proclaimed his best music to date.